A bit of a mouthful
This property gives a new meaning to "sleep with the fishes," – a shark tank. Located in the 16th arrondissement just under the Eiffel Tower, the Paris Aquarium was the first to be built in the world in 1867. Airbnb are giving three winners and their guests an opportunity to stay in the shark tank on April 11th, 12th or 13th. The bedroom sits in 3 million litres of water among the 35 sharks at the aquarium. Your host will be Fred Buyle, shark conservationist. The glass structure is usually used by biologists to observe the natural behaviour of the sharks and fish. House rules for your stay are no selfies after dark - and avoid watching Jaws before your sleepover.
airbnb.co.uk/night-at/ shark-aquarium
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Bowie’s mystique on Mustique
There is no better way to feel close to your favourite star than sleeping in their bed. The world mourned on January 11th when Starman David Bowie departed earth. You can feel close to him in the Asian fusion estate he built in the late 1980s. The fantasy island of Mustique has been a holiday destination for royalty, high society and celebrities since the 1950s. David wanted Mandalay "to be as unlike the Caribbean as possible. The house for me is a delightful cliché," he told Architectural Digest in 1992. That cliché is for rent now and the five-bedroom property has an infinity pool, dining pavilion, games room, studio and 14 staff to satisfy every whim. The 6.2 acre estate is for available from €35,000 per week in low season.
mandalayestate.com
Happy landings
Take a flight of fancy in a 1970s workhorse of the sky, a Boeing 727. Now permanently landed 15 metres up in the jungle overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Costa Rica, you will wake up to the sounds of howler monkeys and exotic birds. This aircraft has been repurposed into a highly unusual holiday home with all the necessities of comfort. There are two bedrooms and two bathrooms. It has a fully equipped kitchen, flat-screen TV, beautifully furnished in local style with two large outdoor over wing decks. It is a short walk to the sandy beach and nightlife of Manuel Antonio. A night in the B727 will cost from $260 to $500 (€228 to €440) per night plus 13 per cent tax. It can sleep up to six people.
homeaway.co.uk/p577384vb
Wanderly wagon
Feel like a nomadic traveller come to rest in your own gypsy caravan in the tranquil countryside of the Gers in the Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées region in the southwest of France near the commune Tarbes. Domaine d'Escapa is a rural campsite surrounded by rolling hills. The family-friendly site feels fully connected to nature and a great place for children to feel the safety of the countryside. On the site you can relax, fish in the nearby lake, swim in the outdoor pool, use the sauna, cycle and have pony rides in the sparsely populated countryside. The caravans can accommodate up to five guests and cost from €96 per night.
pitchup.com
Joan Scales will be joined by Airbnb superhost Karen O'Rourke in the Irish Times Home & Design Theatre at the Permanent TSB Ideal Home Show in the RDS, Dublin, on Friday, April 15th, to talk about how to prepare your home for paying guests. See idealhome.ie
